Dark matter can be found anywhere in the universe in different forms. However, we can’t see it, but we can detect its presence through gravity. The most recent discoveries show that in terms of matter the Earth might be dark haired.
- Scientists believe Earth might be surrounded by streams of dark matter called “hairs”
- Dark matter cannot yet be directly explored
- The universe is made from 85% dark matter
- Dark matter does not interact via the electromagnetic field
Dark matter is very hard to spot. The evidence of its existence is always indirect. This is because dark matter cannot reflect or emit light; it can’t interact in any way via electromagnetic force as luminous matter can. But, dark matter’s gravitational field has the power to warp spacetime. This spacetime curvature can be detected with the help of telescopes. After the warping is measured and the contribution of the visible matter is calculated, astronomers are able to find that most of the gravity needed is produced by the dark matter, which we cannot see, rather than by the matter we can see like the galaxies and stars.
Since it is believed that the universe is made up of about 85 percent dark matter, astrophysicists believe that all galaxies are most probably encompassed by a sort of dark matter halo or stream.
When it comes to Earth, the streams of dark matter interact with the planet by passing straight through and producing dark matter “hairs” that seem to sprout from the Earth. Although this hairy matter passes through and is channeled by our planet’s gravity, it does not interact with Earth’s normal matter.
The roots of Earth’s tresses start at about 600,000 miles above the surface, which is twice farther than the distance to the moon. The tips of the hairs should be located about twice as far as the roots.
However, this is only a hypothesis as we are still a long way from being able to directly detect dark matter. Scientists are hoping to use the information anyway for future research. For example it is thought that dark matter particles can retain information about the planet they are passing through and therefore can be helpful in exploring a planet’s interior.
Whatever the next findings will be the image of Earth as a dark haired planet will probably stay in our minds for a while.
Image source: www.cdn.phys.org
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